The World is Square -- Story One
by Blue Phoenix
Summary: The first of six adventures, of a land where Fantasy, Gears, and Time all intertwine.
1. Prologue

Hello and welcome to the Prologue.  
  
Note and disclaimer: "Final Fantasy, Zenosaga, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Secret of Mana" are all properties of Squaresoft. Evangelion belongs to Gainax. All the rest, well... to their respective owners... I'm sorry, but it can get crazy at times I tend to lose track of who is popping in and out...   
This Prologue is dedicated to the memory of the September 11th tragedy. Long Live Freedom. Long Live America.  
I hope you enjoy this, the first story.  
  
The World Is Square  
  
The southwest tower was still standing... reinforced due to the fact that it stood over the barracks and armory... held in place by the west and south walls that appears now to have been erected for the sole purpose of holding this weakened tower in place. The knights and squires inside were scrambling, grabbing what little equipment they could before the fires spread into the barracks. Most of the force went to the aid of the townspeople, also hit in the blast. The rest, to the aid of their king, who lies under what was the center structure of the castle. In the distant skies, small pops of white and yellow light flicker under a thinly crescent moon, crackling like fireworks, though not for any celebration. This night was supposed to end the fear, it was a night to strike back at the evils of the world.  
  
Two men clad in Sapphire Blue armor stare at the horizon, with looks of awe upon their faces.  
"We cannot even see our enemy, yet he can hit us-hard as any dragon, hard as any army."  
"Yes, but his action... it was provoked. We sent the Squadron to attack him, we knew this could happen."  
"We needed to do something, if not for us, then for Alexandria..."  
The knight looked back at the city, burning in one huge fire, then at his comrade.  
"Gather the survivors at King's pass, we will take them to Onrac at dawn."  
As he turns to leave, he glances at his friend, who shook his head in disbelief...  
"It only took one blast... one blast from that madman to take us down."  
"Come Cecil, we have work to do. Baron might be gone, but our people will live on."  
  
  
  
  



	2. The Quest Begins

Welcome to Chapter one  
  
Note and disclaimer: "Final Fantasy, Zenosaga, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Secret of Mana" are all properties of Squaresoft. Evangelion belongs to Gainax. All the rest, well... to their respective owners... I'm sorry, but it can get crazy at times I tend to lose track of who is popping in and out...   
  
The World is Square  
  
The Quest Begins  
  
Two weeks have passed since the fall of Baron and the new year was upon them. This day marked not only the first millenium since the journey of Dario, a journey that united the Kingdoms of Zenan and brought peace to the known world, it also marked one year to the day when Kefka started his conquest of the world. In the town on Onrac the number of tents and makeshift shelters were as numerous as the permanent houses themselves. Onrac had welcomed the citizens of Baron into their own, but re-building would take time. Former knights became guardians of the town or worked in the large prison secluded in the mountains to the east.   
For two men, their job was quite different. The young Knight Cecil stood at the gates of the town, facing the dry arid plains to the southwest. He spent the day preparing, preparing for a trip across the Grand Desert to the western coast, where he would find his brother in Fatima.  
"You look ready for anything, Cecil."  
A tall armored figure walked up beside him. He removed his ornate sapphire dragon-head helmet and set his gaze on the horizon.  
  
Cecil:"I can't believe you're staying behind, Kain"  
Kain:"Someone needs to. Who's going to lead the men if we both go?"  
Cecil:"The Red Wing's gone. Let go. The city guards already have a Marshall."  
Kain:"Their Marshall doesn't know our men. I've worked with them for years."  
Cecil:"Well then, do a good job. I'm off to Fatima."  
And with that, Cecil headed to the west.  
  
***  
  
Interlude  
  
Marbule, a remote island as yet unexplored by the human populace. Home to a populace of metahumans. They live in the shadow of the tower of Kefka, not that they are under his rule or anything, he considers them inferior to him, not deserving of his interest. They too have witnessed the horrors Kefka has unleashed, and some have organized a small party to strike back.  
Tor- a black-stripped white tiger monk  
Seera- a grey short fur cat-girl priest  
Maak- a lizard warrior  
and the one who organized them- Lynx a wizard.  
  
***  
  
Cecil wandered past the dry plains and into the desert. Night fell and with it came a cool breeze. Cecil removed the tent from his backpack and began to set up camp. After camp was set, he pulled out some dried meat sticks and had dinner. He relaxed for awhile and then began polishing his helmet so that it didn't get ruined by the harsh winds and sand.  
A sharp whistling sound rung out from the hills in the north. An arrow pierced Cecil's hand and rung out a *ping! as it struck against his helmet. Cecil dropped his helmet and gripped his wrist, and with blood squirting out of his right palm, ducked into his tent and curled low against the back pole. As Cecil pulled the arrow the rest of the way from his hand he noticed his sight turned into a large blur. He hastily poured a potion on his hand that closed his wound and grabbed his sword and shield and readied them for when his attackers would show themselves. Blinded or not, he could hold his own if need be. He felt disgusted that someone would attack him with such low respect for a fair fight. Another whistling arrow shot forth, this one piercing through nothing more than the side of the tent. Realizing the futility of waiting, Cecil slid out of the back of the tent and charged toards the hills, shield raised half-over his face to protect his helmetless head. He thinks back at when he dropped the helmet and how bad of an idea that was to panic like that. His mind focuses back on the task at hand, the temporary blindness already fading. He concentrates as he hurries up the hill, attempting to pick out how many assailants he has to contend with. With the fire he made at his back, his opponents were at a great advantage, Cecil charged in with a great long shadow cast in front of him... a great offer of concealment for the trained theif who crouched low, ready to strike with his twin daggers.  
  
***  
  
They had traveled together for months now, wandering the northern half of the continent in search of items they could use on their own quest. One came out of the wreckage in Alexandria, where he worked in the local theatre. The other, he says he is from a far off land, looking for treasure anywhere he can find it. Now they attack a man in the desert, hopefully his armor is worth enough to re-equip them and keep them warm in the coming winter season.  
  
Thief:"Look over there, I tell you, this is a sign that we are doing the right thing."  
Archer:"Yeah, Yeah... everything's a sign to you."  
  
The archer looks down at the campsite with a keen eye, studing the grounds to find any clue as to what they are up against. He spots the man's shining blue helmet. The tedious care he puts into shining it. The two gauntlets laying on the ground on a folded cloth show he takes pride in having what he has. This man earned his armor, he concluded. This man is a knight, not a wanderer or a thief. This needs to be done quick, and with stealth and precision.  
  
Thief:"Come on! You ready, are are ya just gonna sit there all night?"  
Archer:"Be quiet... this man is a Knight of Baron."  
Thief:"So he's a bucket-head. Big deal. I've taken their type before. Besides, we've got surprise and range on him."  
Archer:"We won't if you don't be quiet. His helmet... I don't recognize it... that's not a typical helmet." *sigh "Get in position, and find some cover. Wait for him to rush in."  
Thief:"Good. Time for some fun."   
He turned to find a rock to hide behind, stopped and remarked:  
Thief:"Hey Locke! Don't miss!"   
  
He snickered at the archer, who shot him a glare of annoyance, and took his place a few yards away.  
Locke found his target, the knight's hand. Without it, he would be surely weakened in a fight. He pulled back on his Nightstalker bow, held his stance firm and waited for the right moment. The knight switched which hand he polished his helmet with, from right to left, and held his helmet firmly with his right hand. An open target at last! The arrow, tipped with a poison that would render it's target with a temporary blindness, flew with accuracy, piercing the knight's hand. The knight scrambled into his tent, dropping the helmet in the sand. Locke took a second arrow and readied it, studing the tent to find where to shoot. After a few moments of careful decision, Locke lets a second arrow fly. It punctures the center of the tent. No sound is heard, Locke gets a third arrow ready. Before he can nock the third arrow, the knight slides out of the back of the tent, sword and shield in hand. Locke takes a glance at the thief, who is inching along the ground, moving into position. The thief is in the direct path of the charging knight.  
  
Cecil rushed into the hill, only half-prepared for battle, he had no time to equip himself with armor. As he ran to the rocks at the crest of the hill he saw the glistening blades of the thief almost directly below him spring up from the ground and cut deep into both of his legs. The thief looked as if he was smiling as he raised the twin daggers, now dripping in a sheath of blood, over his head, preparing them to strike again. Cecil jumped at the thief shield first, smashing it against the thief's upper body. They both landed on the ground with a thud, but Cecil landed on top of the thief, giving the advantage to him for the moment. Letting go of the shield, Cecil concentrated instead on restraining the thief's daggers. He wasn't ready, however, to have another arrow run him through.  
  
This arrow pierced his gut in his right side, throwing him off of the thief. Taking advantage of given situations are what a good thief knows how to do, so Cecil recieves two more slices to his legs before he loses his shield and sword. Cecil turns and sees the two men running for the camp and then... only haze. Trying to focus, Cecil blinks and wipes his eyes, attempting to clean them of sand. Finding it hard to hold his head up, he turns onto his back and looks to the sky asking for help.  
  
***  
  
Sounds of grinding gears and klanking hammers rouse Cecil from his sleep. He wakes to find himself in a iron room with light peeking in from the solitary circular window in the door. After checking himself over, he finds that he has been healed of his wounds. he rises up, looks around and checks the door. It opens, much to his surprise, and he walks into the hall. The hall is much like his room, iron walls, grated floors, lights hanging from a tall celing. Two guards approach Cecil from across the hall.   
  
Male Guard:"You're up."  
Female Guard:"Come with us, please."  
  
The man is wearing Brown armor, a light helmet, and a spear. The woman is wearing a light Green Breastplate, and a white cape. She looks like she's in charge here.  
  
Cecil:"Where am I?"  
Woman:"You're safe. You're in a safe place."  
Cecil:"Who are you?"  
  
The two guards looked at each other then looked back at the knight...  
  
Woman:"My name is Celes. This is Wedge. May I ask the same of you?"  
Cecil:"Mine is Cecil. Where are we going?"  
Celes:"You ask alot of quesions. We are going outside to the commons."  
  
After a few doors and halls, the three of them reached the outside. Cecil Looked around, the outside was expansive, leaning towers and grassy growths peeking out of the twisted roadways. The thing that struck Cecil was the banners hanging from the large Towers along the walls of the circular structure. The banners of red with gold symbols foreign to him, although the symbol's meaning are foreign to him, he knows of these banners are that they are the same banners that Kefka uses when he sends his army on raids.  



	3. The End of a Quest - part one

  
  
Note and disclaimer: "Final Fantasy, Zenosaga, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Secret of Mana" are all properties of Squaresoft. Evangelion belongs to Gainax. All the rest, well... to their respective owners... I'm sorry, but it can get crazy at times I tend to lose track of who is popping in and out...   
  
The World is Square  
  
The End of a Quest - part one  
  
  
Lynx:"You are pathetic! You expect me to believe you!"  
He turned his back on the two men, then shot them a look of contempt from over his right shoulder.  
Lynx:"You, the one with the tail. You don't look like a squire. No, the clothing you wear suggests something of a privelaged youth... and your friend, the 'knight' here... he's too small for the armor you claim as yours."  
Maak:"Then you say these two are theives?"  
Lynx:"...I think these two are out here in search of a good time. Maybe stealing from sleeping guards is their idea of fun."  
  
Zidane:"Just so ya know, the 'knight' we attacked was awake. We took him on, and we bested him..."  
Locke:"Shut up, Zidane!"  
  
Lynx:"So, you're a couple of big boys... killed your first knight. Impressive! This calls for a celebration."  
Lynx tosses back his dark purple cloak, lifting his left hand out towards the young adventurers palm side up. He takes his hand into a fist and, with a slight struggle, pulls his arm low at his side. As he does this, the wind around his arm seems to part and tug like a vacuum. In that vacuum the spark of magic begins to flow. It forms in a ball of red and orange with flashes of white sparks.  
Tor and Maak look at each other then look back at Lynx.  
  
Tor:"Are you centain this is..."  
  
Tor didn't have time to finish his sentence... Lynx lifted the ball of fire over his head and hurled it towards Zidane without so much as a thought. Immediately, Tor and Maak leaped into action, Tor slams his right fist into Locke's chin and Maak circles around Zidane, the flames from the fireball only warming Maak's scaley hide. Locke staggered back from the blow, shook it off, and readied a yellow wide-bladed knife in his right hand. His left hand held a surprise... a little yellow ball that, when it strikes its target, bursts and unleashes a powerful explosion of lightning magic. Tor sneers at his opponent... he lets loose a gutteral growl, shaking the nerves of the young Locke. Tor charges headfirst into Locke's chest, knocking him back. Locke dropps the Lightning ball he was holding and falls back into a rock, bending himself backwards over it. The lightning ball erupts hitting both Tor and Locke with its power. Locke is knocked out by the blast. Tor is thorwn back but lands on his feet. Tor turns around just in time to see Maak tackle Zidane from behind. As they fall to the ground, a smirk crosses Zidane's face as Maak dissapears from reality.  
  
Maak is standing alone in a space of black. A dim spotlight from an unseen lightsource lights the ground surrounding the large reptile. An arc of lightning lights up a newly-formed sky of turmulous clouds. Now seen is the landscape, a land of harsh mountains surround the valley which in Maak now stands, looking around half in awe and half in horror. Almost immediately afterward, the clouds tear apart, spinning out of the way of the long, huge spear that came hurdling down towards a terrified Maak. He looks up in time to see the spear slam into him.   
  
Flashing back into reality, Maak's body lay in back of Zidane, blood pouring out of the lizard's mouth forming a pool in which the lizard now lies. Zidane pops the top off of a healing potion and gulps it down, healing the burns he sustained a few moments ago. Seera, who had been standing back all this time rushed to the fallen reptile, hoping to get to him in time to heal his wounds. Lynx gathered his magical energies once again and this time it was Zidane who blinked out of reality.  
  
Zidane knew this feeling. The feeling of being alone in a dark, empty, cold world devoid of all distractions. This is the plane of existence that all who are the target of a summon spell go to recieve their punishment. Once inside, the target cannot defend himself, he cannot do anything to stop what is about to happen. This realm is the construct of the deities or guardian forces. Everything in it is theirs to control. Zidane spins around, looking for a clue, no matter how futile of an act it may be, for what may come at him... to find out who's realm this is. His answer comes to him with a pair of glowing purple eyes. First, only one set. Then two, three, six, twelve, and so on until it is pointless to attempt to count them all. They come at him directly, rushing like a wind of needles, with a howling that announces their feline intent. Left and right, the beasts tear at the flesh and bone of Zidane, who stands upright and helpless against the onslaught. He looks upon his skin, which is now stripped like a tiger with the deep red gashes inflicted upon him. He has enough time to fall to his knees before blood explodes out of those wounds forcing a cry of pain echoed by a mocking howl from the storm of cats.  
  
Flashing back into reality, Zidane scrambles back, falling to the ground, his arms wrapped around his abdomen as if he was attempting to hold in his innards. He curls into a ball on his left side, breathing deeply, and pats himself down noticing that the scratches were all just part of the magic and that he is once again whole.  
  
Tor and Seera encircle Zidane with Lynx standing at the fallen theif's feet. Zidane hops to his feet, looking to continue his match with Lynx, but when he notices that he is surrounded by the monk and the priest... he takes a knee and surrenders.  
  
Lynx:"Tor, bind him. Seera, revive Maak."  
Seera:"If I revive him here, I won't have enough magic to heal us later. Shouldn't I wait until we get into a town first?"  
Lynx:"We don't need everyone to be burdened with carrying someone. If we are attacked, we will not be in a position to much of anything, let alone heal. Do it now."  
Seera:"Yes sir."  
  
Seera casts a Life spell on Maak. She is still a young priestess, and being a priestess of the Black dragon does not grant her the power to revive others lightly. It drains her energy physically and mentally to call upon such powers, leaving her virtually defenseless for the few hours left before they entered the city of Treno.  
  
Maak awakens to find his party gathering up the wounded Zidane and the stolen merchandise, preparing to set out to the next town. Lynx is showing off a few pieces of elemental magic to Zidane, warning him not to run away. Zidane is allowed to walk with the group, although his hands are bound behind him and he is followed closely by Tor and Seera. Maak carries the armor, looks at the former owner on the ground, still unconcious from the lightning ball and the fight with Tor, and then looks towards Lynx.  
  
Maak:"Shouldn't we do something about him?"  
Lynx:"What's there to do? You want to finish him off? We don't have any way of healing him and we cannot afford to carry anymore dead weight; leave him."  
Maak:"I don't know if that is wise..."  
Lynx interrupts impatiently:"Leave him!"  
  
The small group plus one head to the north, into the mountains to the town of eternal darkness, Treno.  
  
As they enter the bustling city forever trapped in night by some powerful spell inflicted upon the town hundreds of years ago for some reason unknown to even the best of the city's historians, Tor and Seera exchange looks of tension.  
  
Seera:"He's here isn't he?"  
Tor:"Yes. The son of mine and my first wife, Gara."  
Seera:"Will you see him?"  
Tor:"He may not even know me. He hasn't seen me since she died. Besides, I sent him away. I don't think that he would even want to look at me."  
Seera:"You sent him to live a better life. He knows that. It's not like you did a bad thing."  
Tor:"I sent him away because he was a reminder of her. I counldn't bear seeing her in his eyes."  
Seera:"He did look like her. But, maybe after all these years, you could just sit and talk. It's been 6 years, I bet he's grown up alot and matured."  
Tor:"We need to get a room for the night. We shouldn't bother ourselves with my past mistakes now." 


End file.
